Monday, October 6, 2014

Hearty Sweet Corn Beef Stew

This one is a loose
interpretation of one I had in a restaurant last year. The surprise inside this one is the corn,
which lends an unexpected sweetness to a hearty beef stew.

It’s taken some tinkering,
but it’s finally just right.

I love that it’s hearty and
robust with the sweetness of the corn and just a little bit of heat to balance
it out. It’s the perfect stew for when
you want some comfort food, but you’re just looking for something a little different.

Hearty Sweet Corn Beef Stew

½ lb bacon, diced

2 lbs stew meat, cut small

1 medium onion, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 ½ cups (or 15 oz can) diced
tomatoes

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp chipotle chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

6 ears corn, kernels removed,
cobs reserved

1 qt beef stock

1 (12 oz) bottle beer

3 medium carrots, diced

1 large potato, diced

1 cup peas

Place the bacon in a large
soup pot over medium heat. Fry the bacon
until crisp, then remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, reserving the
bacon drippings.

Increase the heat to
medium-high and add the beef, cooking in batches, as necessary, to avoid over
crowding. Cook the beef until seared on
all sides. Remove the beef to a bowl or
plate.

Decrease the heat to
medium-low and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pot. Add the onions and celery and cook for 5-7
minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the
garlic and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Increase heat to medium-high
and stir in the spices, beer, beef stock, tomatoes, the seared beef, and the
reserved corn cobs. Bring to a boil,
then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, stirring once or twice.

Once the beef in nice and
tender, remove the corn cobs and stir in the carrots, potatoes, and peas. Also add another cup of beef broth or water,
if needed. Simmer for 30 minutes or
until the vegetables are tender.